News

The Hindu : If you thought Kanyakumari District was all about temples, beaches, forests and waterfalls, think again. You need to explore the area some more to discover lesser-known places of interest. Kanyakumari hides quite a few ruins of time-ravaged forts andwatch towers. They can all be found within a radius of three km from the main temple. I learnt about Murugan Kuntram by chance, just as I was leaving the hotel in Nagercoil. The friendly manager advised me to visit this small hillock just to catch the scenic view from the top. What excited me was that Murugan Kuntram is the last hillock on the way to the confluence of the three seas at the southernmost tip of the country.There was quite a bit of traffic on the highway and it took me half-an-hour to cover the 17-odd km from Nagercoil to the hillock, which was earlier called “Savari Kothalam Parai” by the locals. It is just three km short of Kanyakumari.The hillock with its sparkling white temple on the top is visible even from the highway. From the main road, I turned right on the narrow road that culminated at its base. Thirty odd steps took me to the top. Once I got there, I was glad I had made the effort, because I was instantly transported to an abode of serenity. Shade giving casuarinas neatly lined the boundary wall of the temple. All you could hear was the soughing of the casuarinas, though, barely a km away, there was ample noise caused by the work of laying the four-way National Highway, part of the golden quadrilateral that will connect the North with the South.Indeed, Murugan Kuntram is a spot from where you can get a panoramic view of the surroundings - oceans on the one side, the Aramboly field with its whirring wind mills on the other and verdant groves of coconut and banana on…More

The Hindu : Holiday offersThe award-winning Ritz-Carlton, Bali Resort and Spa, with its lushly-landscaped tropical gardens, is offering a perfect package for a romantic wedding. The resort offers indoor and outdoor options to host four to 400 guests, couples can also specifyhow they would like to toast their nuptials, from specially-concocted cocktails to lavish buffets or sit-down meals set against the setting sun and serenaded by entertainment of their choice, say the organisers.Other honeymoon options include customised dinners at various romantic locations at the resort, with the freshest seafood, finest wines, dedicated chefs and butlers, as well as complete and total privacy. For details log on to ritzcarlton.com***Cox & Kings has designed a special Christmas season holiday package to Goa via Kingfisher Airlines. This package offers a four-day/three-night stay at the resort Vista Do Rio for Rs. 9,200 per adult on twin share basis.Tour price includes return airfare on Kingfisher Airlines (limited seats per flight), airport transfers by Non AC coach, welcome drink on arrival, stay in air-conditioned rooms, bottle of wine in the room on the day of check-in, all meals, two-and-a-half days sight seeing tours by Non AC coach, 1 Sunset Cruise on Mandovi River, special discounts on Ayurvedic Massages, Sauna and Jacuzzi, free use of swimming pool, games room, gymnasium, and pool table, say the organisers. The offer is valid from November 12 to December 20 and from January 10, 2008 to March 31. The packages are also available at Mapple Viva, Victor Exotica, Galaxy Beach Resort, Devaaya Spa Resort and Taj Holiday Village with varying prices.For bookings and details call 1800 22 1235 or 09867565599….More

The Hindu : BeatstreetKhoya Khoya ChandBig Music, CD, Rs. 150The moment you hear that here is a movie with a story about the Hindi film industry of the 1950s and early 60s, is directed by Sudhir Mishra, inspired by the life of Guru Dutt, has music director Shantanu Moitra and lyricist Swanand Kirkire teaming up again for a period film after Parineeta, you expect something. In fact you expect a whole lot of things from Khoya Khoya Chand.You expect period music, yet you expect it to be fresh and new; not a rip off of old tracks. Yet you hope that it will revive and rekindle all those myriad sepia-tinted and black-and-white nostalgic associations of those times, and make references to musical hits of the era. After all this was the Golden Age of Hindi cinema when there was a prolific pouring in of talent into the industry.The opening song – the title track – is the gem of the album. Lyricist Swanand Kirkire and Ajay Jhingran’s raspy voices take you through this racy masterpiece that combines a qawwali style with a sort of shaayari recital and desi rap. The rollercoaster “Kyoooon” gives the whole song a spirited twist. Of course music director Shantanu Moitra goes ahead and loads it with quite a heavy musical arrangement I wouldn’t essentially associate with the 50s, yet the final effect is grand. The lyrics are as intriguing as the ways of the heart are mysterious – the crux of the song. The separation, the sadness, the angst and the heart’s anger at its own self have been nuanced poetically by Kirkire. (It also had me scurrying to an Urdu dictionary!) And Kirkire has gone one step ahead and paid his respect to one of the progressive Urdu poets of the time – Majaaz – ingeniously weaving him into the lyrics.It’s a great beginning and nothing after this number in the album…More

The Hindu : On the occasion of Suvarna Karnataka, the Kannada television channel Suvarna is presenting a music reality show called “Confident Star Singer” in association with the Confident Group. The reality show kicked off with 50,000 applications when it was first announced and has since been pared down to 101 contestants for the first round. The grand prize for the winning contestant is a chance to sing in popular music director Guru Kiran’s next movie, as well as a flat worth Rs. 40 lakh in Bangalore.The contest will be adjudged by Guru Kiran, playback singer Nandita and the multi-talented musician Praveen D Rao. This will be the first time Guru Kiran will be seen in a reality show. Expressing his excitement Guru Kiran said, “I’m very happy that Suvarna is coming forward to search for talented Kannada singers. The industry requires this talent and I’m looking forward to see the best aspiring singers of Karnataka on Star Singer.”Confident Star Singer will be aired from Monday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Suvarna….More

The Hindu : Finally now there are pairs of jeans which actually fit Indian body type. Jealous 21 by Indus League Clothing Limited launched three pairs of jeans which measures and takes into consideration the body proportions of large-hipped Indian women.After years of scrambling in denim shops for the perfect jeans, and compliment and flatter your figure, there may be a collective sigh of relief. People have finally got thinking and figured out what suits a typically curvy figure. So gone are the days when you have to fruitlessly slim down and sweat it out at the gym, struggling to zip those jeans up just because they just refuse to budge over those hips.Jealous 21 launched three pairs of snug-fit jeans for different hip types – “Hottie”, “Hourglass” and “Bootilicious”. “While the slim or Hottie style has an eight inch difference between the waist and the hip, regular or Hourglass has a ten inch difference, while curvy or Bootilicious has an eleven inch difference.” Says Bina Mirchandani, Brand Head of Jealous 21: “We have done research on the Indian woman’s body structure, which is completely different from that of her Caucasian counterpart.” So, she says that they came up with the solution of jeans that look like they’ve been custom-made to fit the Indian woman’s hips.Miss Earth Pooja Chitgopekar strutted on the ramp, showing off a “Hottie” pair that fit like a glove. She comments on the collection: “Well, these jeans suit my body type so well in every aspect — length, hips and waist — that I don’t have to get them altered.”She is happy that brands are looking into what the Indian customer are looking for, which is markedly different from what is suited for the Western market. “It’s important to know what kind of a market you cater to, and what needs they have.” She adds, “Finally, here is a brand that takes these aspects…More

The Hindu : When it comes to clothes we think that the market pampers a woman and her purse. Right? Wrong. Well, just look around you and your eyes will meet an equal number of stores and ads that scream clothes with style for men too. If that is not enough frommulti-branded stores for men these days, the market is brimming with exclusive stores that offer only branded clothes for men. And one new store to join this bandwagon is the 1,800 square-foot Excalibur Showroom on CMH Road, Indiranagar.The collection is designed on the philosophy of “Live Work Play”. Now that winter is in, the store is loaded with the Excalibur autumn-winter collection.The first floor offers designs for special occasions and a party wear line. The formal range offers a more “serious” look just perfect for those board meetings or a formal party.There is wide range of suits, jackets, sweatshirts, and sweaters, apart from the distinctively styled shirts, trousers and accessories. The ground floor is full of sweaters, and casuals and T-shirts — all in bright hues.“The finest fabrics in lambs wool, fleece, loop-knits, cottons and blends have been used to give unique designs and an exceptional quality to the collection. Blending quality, distinctive style and comfort, the new line is guaranteed to add panache and bring international class into your wardrobe,” says the makers.The cotton blends and plain shirts in bold colours come at Rs. 695. The formal section offers business shirts with stripes too. There are blazers that come at Rs. 1,999 onwards in blue, black and grey. Sweaters and the sweat shirts come at Rs. 795 onwards.Even when it comes to accessories, the store offers plenty of choice. There are wallets, belts, ties and knitted caps that are “designed to suit every mood and occasion.”So whoever thought that men’s wardrobes are drab and dull, will have to think twice.The store is open from 10 a.m….More

The Hindu : Jazz might have originated in America but is today a global cultural phenomenon.With the Jazz Utsavs in Mumbai and Delhi growing popular by the year and revealing an emergent Indian jazz sensibility — both in the musician and the enthusiast — it was time Bangalore experienced it too. Especially with the city not having witnessed a full-fledged festival of the kind last seen in the Jazz Yatras of the early ’90s.Thus the two-night “Indigo and Blues International Jazz and Blues” extravaganza at the Jayamahal Palace Hotel, featuring around 50 artists in almost a dozen acts, duly whetted the city enthusiast’s appetite for more. And what’s more, producers Radio Indigo promised to have this at least once a year.Guitarist Amit Heri and Carnatic vocalist Rama Mani’s interactions showcased exquisite ‘Indian jazz’ subtleties. Held together by the indomitable duo of Adrian D’Souza on drums and Karl Peters on bass, the Amit Heri group was as definitive as ever with sprightly funk grooves, gripping harmonies, and interactive solo improvisations.Adrian D’ Souza’s virtuosity on his kit shone through commendably in his many performances: Global Unity, Amit Heri Group and Kaya Quartet. His non self-indulgent but clear jazz drumming for the most part made him the ideal team-man. His support for jazz-guitarist Sanjay Divecha in the Global Unity trio was especially interactive with Divecha easily being nudged into his own virtuoso solos.The Barracuda Blues Band, quickly gaining reputation for their authentic treatment of the blues, dished out some heady classics “Mustang Sally” and “Stormy Monday”. Radha Thomas’s blues vocals provided the Gerard Machado Network with a soulful spin to their jazz-rock compositions. Bass players K. N. Prakash (Gerard Machado Network), Karl Peters (Global Unity and Amit Heri Group) and Keith Peters (Kaya Quartet) were all cool and complex in their approach typical of jazz bassists, with some serious exuberance both in their comping and soloing. Saxophonist Matt Littlewood, with his…More

The Hindu : He’s always on the move. Whether he’s going from one party to another (non-political… the dancing kind), whether he’s going from one city to the other, from Ibiza to London, whether he’s DJ-ing, VJ-ing or RJ-ing.Nikhil Chinnappa is like a cat on hot coals. And the hot coals here, is music. Otherwise why would anyone fly 17 hours from London and back to be in Bangalore for a three-hour party? “It was so worth it,” Nikhil assures me. He catches up on sleep mostly on his flights, because most days he’s partying till 5 a.m. “My life is in transit.”With a job that’s every teen’s dream, this MTV VJ from Bangalore is never at a loss of words and answers. He was in the city for the pre-event Sunburn 2007 party. Sunburn 2007 on December 28 and 29 in Goa will be the first of its kind electronic music party with international participants.“There’s been a huge amount of interest in Sunburn. People who’ve come to know of it have been cancelling plans to go to Thailand and Sri Lanka to be in Goa for it.” Nikhil was in Bangalore only over a week ago to celebrate the first anniversary of Submerge at Fuga. Submerge, a platform that Nikhil, and girlfriend and fellow-VJ Pearl started off in 2003, is a breakthrough concept that has revolutionised the clubbing music scene in India.Tired of the same old music playing at most clubs, DJs got together to play the music they wanted to – the best and cutting edge house and progressive music from the global scene, that was hot off the press and not many had the privilege to hear yet. “You can see from the website ( www.submerge.in) that there’s a strong sense of community… people are making friends that last beyond the dance floor.”He says there aren’t too many people in India who understand this music….More

The Hindu : The Rang Mahal reminded of Mughal-e-Azam’s “Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya” and the guide told us that the crystal was imported from Belgium. Size of sections notwithstanding, that gender equality was high on agenda reflects from the little windows that open into the court.They were meant for the queens to attend the proceedings. Around the fort one can find Rajasthani folk dancers seeking tourists’ attention. A kalbeliya performer does a salaam in Umrao Jaan style. “Tourism has turned the folk artistes into monkeys. They will do anything to please the tourist,” lamented Vinod Joshi, a social anthropologist who works in the region.To keep the rewind mode going, we hopped into a taxi to take us to Umaid Bhawan, a little more than a stone’s throw.One of the youngest palaces in India, Umaid Bhawan was completed in 1944 by Maharaja Umaid Singh, the grandfather of present Maharaja Gaj Singh. Part of it is used as a hotel run by the Taj Group and the rest is the residence of the Maharaja. Built on the Chittar Hill, the highest point in Jodhpur, its construction took 16 years. The building does not use mortar or cement to bind stones.The architect, H.V. Lanchester designed the palace in Indo-Art-Deco style. The palace, when it was built, was the world’s largest private residence, with 347 rooms. Though the information in the palace museum describes it as a development project where 5,000 men found employment as they were paid quarter rupee a day, today it is an epitome of luxury and grandeur. It is the most expensive hotel in Jodhpur where the royal suite costs more than a lakh a night and its underground swimming pool is a spectacle in itself.Coming back to the ground realties, a walk in the local market brought back the vibrancy.Known for its spices, papads and tea, you could see local businessmen cajoling foreign tourists in funny…More